Tool handle with rotatable cap structure



y 1, 1956 G- w. LOWRY 2,743,749

TOOL HANDLE WITH ROTATABLE CAP STRUCTURE Filed Jan. so, 1953 I INVENTOR 6/6/71: 14 Jon 2y,

ATTORNEY Uited States atent "ice TOOL HANDLE WITH ROTATABLE CAP STRUCTURE Glenn W. Lowry, Fairboru, ()hio Application January 30, 1953, Serial No. 334,260

1 Claim. (Cl. 145--61) This invention relates to screw driver handles, in which the free end of the handle is provided with a cap structure to fit in the palm of the hand and held stationary while the body of the handle is rotated when placing a screw.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cap construction of metal and a body portion of solid plastic material to receive bits of various sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a screw driver handle having the cap structure arranged to be held stationary in the palm of the hand when screwing a screw in place, and yet provide the cap to withstand a blow of a hammer when such a blow is necessary when starting a screw.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for securing a metal cap to a plastic body portion to effectively hold the parts together, and yet permit a portion of the cap to be held stationary in the palm of the hand when rotating the handle.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of the screw driver.

Figure 2 is a detail section of the upper end of the handle.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the cap retaining flange and the upper end of the plastic body portion.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illustrating a modification of the cap structure.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a handle, the body portion 2 of which is formed of plastic material.

Referring specifically to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the cylindrical gripping portion of the plastic body portion is corrugated or fluted to provide a grip for the fingers when operating a screw driver. The upper end of the body portion is reduced to form a cylindrical head 3 and flanges 4 at the terminals of the projections of the corrugations, as best shown in Figure 4.

The cap proper 5 comprises a cylindrical flat disc 5 having a skirt with a smooth, unbroken side wall surface depending therefrom. The lower end of the skirt 5" is formed with depending lugs 6 which engage the corrugations in the body portion of the handle. The flat disc is provided with an opening to receive a pivot 7' depending from a second disc 7 seated on and rotatably mounted on the flat surface of the first-mentioned disc. The inner end of the pivot 7 is flattened, as at 8, to form a retaining flange on the interior of the skirt to hold the parts to gether.

When assembling the parts, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the skirt 5" of the disc 5 is fitted over the head 3 2,743,749 Patented May 1, 1956 of the plastic body portion of the handle, the lugs 6 fitting in the depressions of the corrugations. The skirt is forced down on the head 3 to provide a tight fit, while the lugs engaging the side walls of the corrugations prevent the rotative resistance when using the handle.

I have found in practice that I can force the skirt on the plastic head 3 and a secure and ellective joint results to tie the two elements together as a unit.

11 the modification shown in Figure 5, the skirt shown in the preferred form is omitted, leaving simply a disc id to fit on the upper edge of the plastic body portion, with the lugs 11 engaging the walls of the corrugations. The disc It) is provided with a depending hub portion 12 formed with a central opening 13 to receive a pivot lug l-d. depending from a flat disc 15, corresponding to the diameter of disc 10. When the discs are assembled, the pivot lug depends below the hub and a pin is inserted to hold the two discs together in related position.

The skirt is driven in place at the end of the body portion with such force that it holds the parts together, While the lugs prevent strain incident to turning the handle.

Embedded in the body portion is a tube 17 secured in place solely by friction, so that various sizes of bits can be effectively used with the handle. The upper end of the handle is capped and the lower end threaded and re ceives a ferrule 17 locked in position by a nut 17".

When using the screw driver, the upper end is grasped by the hand with the disc 7 in the palm and the fingers gripped around the outside of the handle. Thus a downward pressure can be applied on the handle with the disc held stationary and at the same time the handle can be rotated to drive the screw in place.

T he structure is such that if a blow of a hammer is necessary on the top of the handle to start a screw, the cap will take it without in any wise marring or destroying the relationship of the parts.

What 1 claim is:

A screw driver handle having a generally cylindrical gripping portion, said gripping portion having a reduced end portion, said reduced end portion providing an abutment shoulder at its juncture with said gripping portion, a hollow cylindrical cap fitted over said reduced end portion and abutting said abutment shoulder, means fixedly secur ing said cap to said reduced end, said cap having a smooth. unbroken, outer side wall surface flush with said gripping portion, said cap having a flat end wall overlying the end of said gripping portion and having a central aperture therethrough, a disk having a stud projecting axially from the center thereof and extending rotata'bly through said end wall aperture rotatably attaching said disk to said cap, the end of said gripping portion having a central recess receiving the end of said stud, said disk having the peripheral edge thereof terminating flush with said cylindrical side wall surface of said cap, said disk and said cylindrical side wall surface of said cap serving to protect the palm of the hand of a user of the handle as the handle is rotated and the end of the handle engages the palm of the hand. i

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 431,959 Young July 8, 1890 686,424 Smith Nov. 12, 1901 1,660,557 Waskom Feb. 28, 1929 2,324,839 Haumerson July 20, 1943 

